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Skein
The quiet knocking on his door broke the old teacher out of his meditation. He rubbed the yellow gum out of his eyes as he crossed the room, sighing as he saw his fire had gone down. The old metal hinges creaked as the door opened, revealing Farri, one of his younger students. He opened his mouth to shoo her away, to leave her questions to tomorrow's class, and leave him to the task of rebuilding his fire and resuming his trance. The look in her eyes gave him pause. I'm sorry Master Narron, I know its late and you must be busy, but I need to talk to you about something. Something that just happened to me, or rather, something I just awoke from. He frowned as he stacked logs on the embers. Speak, child, what happened? I-I saw my mother, sir. In my dreams. She talked to me about home, about Dad, about my brother. But my mother died sir, I got the letter only yesterday. The Master sighed as he poked the embers around, watching them catch the kindling. Many dream of those they have lost, Farri. Especially when we are not there to say goodbye. Besides-''' '''But, but she was so real sir. Sounded exactly like her. We talked for hours before I woke. Nerron frowned as she interrupted him, realising what she was about to ask. Farri, the Skein is many things, but it is not the afterlife. We shape it as it shapes us, more than any other Plane. What you see when you dream can be nothing more than your imagination, and even when you know you were within the Skein, what you experience can still simply be your fantasies made flesh, a tapestry the Skein paints from your mind. I know Master, I know. It just seemed so real. I wanted...I want it to be real. Tears brimmed in the young girl's eyes, and Narron placed his hand on her shoulder. I know, Farri. The Skein is a wondrous place, and in many ways I think it is the most beautiful Plane, because it is the one we shape, the one our hopes, or fears determine. But all within the Skein is a reflection, or a mask adopted by the beings there. None of it is real, and you should never believe it to be so. Many have tried to bring their dreams into the waking world. Some despair as their hopes turn to ash in their hands, others weep over the shadows of friends and lovers they create, hollow and incomplete. Our studies on the Skein will soon be complete, and we will turn to other topics, other wonders. Keep your mother in your memory Farri, it is where she belongs, and where you will always find her, and where you need no magic, no higher arts, to see her face. The Place of Dreams The Skein is a mystery to all who know of it, and even more to those who study it. It is a Plane that seems to exist only in the the unconscious minds of mortals, a Realm devoid of Gods or Demons, yet home to beings alien and strange. Travel to the Skein does not move the body like other Planes, but only the mind. As such, it is a Plane closely linked with the study of the Psionic Arts, and a ceaseless fascination to all who discover it. Where the Mind Wanders The Skein can be reached by any mortal on Tolas, a fact alone that separates it from every other Plane. In deepest slumber the mortal mind can pass the threshold, leaving their body and entering the Plane, where their every thought, every impulse can shape the world around them. Dreams of heavy emotion can more easily break the barrier, leading mortals who are in the midst of joy or terror, fear or jubilation to enter the Skein while they sleep, transforming it into a reflection of their own mindscape. For almost all mortals, the transitions back and forth to the Skein are indistinguishable from normal dreaming, perhaps only notable for the realism their dream enjoys in the Skein. As such its existence is often debated, especially in areas where study of the Skein is uncommon, new, or lost. The Dreamers While all mortals dream, those who can breach the Skein and shape their Dreams are a rarity, and possess the talent to shape the Skein more freely. These mortals can wander the Skein directly, seeing not only the reflection of their mindscape, but of others as well. Although the Skein is a reflection of the mortals within it, it heeds no laws of space or time, and dreams can linger there seemingly forever, or Dreamers can communicate across vast distances through the Skein. The Sleeper Has Awoken Those that have a latent ability to explore the Skein are often also possessed of Psionic talent, although wizards and mages of other powers can cross into it. Those who invoke their power from Gods or other Outsiders find entry into the Skein impossible by these channels, as no Outsiders can see or breach the Skein. Within the Skein, Dreamers can roam over vast distances, peer into dreams dreamed long ago, and some say see the future. They can attempt to communicate with the strange beings that live there, though few have ever found a language with which to do so. The possibilities of the Skein are its own danger, and some dreamers have let their bodies waste away while their mind wanders freely, failing to awake until the moment of death. Powers of the Skein Unlike other Planes, the influence the Skein has on Tolas is unclear. Whether anything from the Plane of Dreams can be made manifest in the Material is uncertain, and the beings that live there have no urge to venture to the Material, in contrast with their counterparts in other Planes. Those that are summoned are often disturbed by the transition, lashing out at their alien surroundings, and becoming nightmares and monstrosities in the eyes of those who witness them. What powers the Skein can offer mortals is thus unclear, leading it to be ignored by ambitious wizards, or denied by zealous believers. Whether any hierarchy exists within the Skein is equally uncertain, and while some whisper of names such as Thought Eater and Mind Flayer, it is hoped that these are merely nightmares, and not the true forms of those that dwell within. Category:Plane Category:In-World Concepts